View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Paris Hilton was ‘most talked-about’ person in 2007

By Press Gazette

The most talked about person in TV, radio and print news for 2007, excluding politicans, was Paris Hilton, according to a survey by a Canadian communications company.

Socialite heiress Hilton came above the Queen as the personality with the most coverage in a survey of 632 million news items across 120 countries carried out by Influence Communications.

Presenting the findings at this year’s News Xchange broadcast news conference in Berlin, Influence Communications president, Jean-Francois Dumas, said the story of Hilton’s jail time was the 13th biggest story of the year so far.

The survey found that the story that recieved the most coverage worldwide was the war in Iraq. U:S stories dominated the news agenda worldwide, making up 33 per cent of coverage. George W. Bush leads the world leaders in terms of news coverage over the period.

The top ten is dominated by political events such as Tony Blair’s exit from office with the exception of Harry Potter’s final instalment.

The survey covered the period between January and mid-September 2007.

Results were collerated by aggregating the number of minutes devoted to each item on every outlet across radio, TV and print.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

The top 15 news stories were:

1. War in Iraq

2. US 2008 presidential elections

3. Iran nuclear threat

4. War on Taliban

5. Blair’s exit from office

6. Virginia Tech shootings

7. Harry Potter, the final book

8. French general elections

9. G8 summit

10. Execution of Saddam Hussein

11. iPhone launch

12. Madeleine McCann’s disappearance

13. Paris Hilton in jail

14. Mattel recalls toys

15. Madonna’s adoption problems

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network